Once the injured teenagers were whisked away in a wailing ambulance, an officer ordered a stumbling Nicholas, 18, to perform several field sobriety tests – all of which he failed – and he was handcuffed and taken away in the back of a police cruiser.

Juniors and seniors on Tuesday morning watched the mock crash scenario in which Nicholas Walker hit a car driven by Jeremy Bacon head-on while driving drunk, killing his two friends and injuring his brother.

Though the red smeared across the teenagers’ faces was luckily fake blood, Hopedale Police and firefighters worked as they would have for an actual crash.

"It was very bloody. I was surprised," junior Christine Horton, 16, said later. "Most people got the message, but there will always be people who won’t listen, but it’s their decision."

"I didn’t like it. I thought it was gross," Hailey Leach, 17, added.

Once inside the auditorium, the students sat silently while the Hopedale chorus sang, "Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep," and pallbearers carried in two caskets provided by Consigli-Ruggerio Funeral Home.

After a few moments of letting it sink it for students, school resource officer John Gagnon explained he holds the mock crash every other year before prom so students can see what first responders regularly deal with.

"We see it way too often, but we’ve been very, very, very lucky here," Gagnon said. "By the silence, I can tell you all know better and what you need to do so this doesn’t happen … You don’t want to be the cause of this."

While no Hopedale students have recently been involved in any serious accidents, Principal Derek Atherton pointed out that they occur frequently in other communities.

"It’s a huge responsibility once you get behind the wheel," he said. "The decisions you make don’t just impact you."

While free and innocent, Nicholas Walker said the experience left a lasting impression.

"I can imagine how bad I would feel. Just imagining it, it was weird," he said.

His brother’s involvement made it even more personal, he said.

Joseph Grillo, 18, said it was unsettling just to sit in the wrecked cars, which were provided by Mike’s Autobody and Togi’s Towing of Upton.

"I was thinking about what happened to the people in the cars before us," he said.

Jessica Trufant can be reached at 508-634-7556 or JTrufant@wickedlocal.com.